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Re: RPG: Nightmare Hunt (A Supernatural/Mystery RPG)

A loud sound was heard ringing through her ears. Before she could react, a bullet had hit her in the back.

An image of before when she was on the bench, and the same figure looming over her. It looked like death himself, but it wasn't.

Clarissa fell to the ground and cried in pain. The feeling of getting shot and feeling like she was dying was horrible. She didn't know weather to stand up and risk getting shot at again, or lay still and risk them confronting her again.

Option A was her choice. She struggled to get up, and stammered to her feet. Pain once again shot up her spine, and she struggled to run. She fell twice, but she gained her composure and darted off.

Re: RPG: Nightmare Hunt (A Supernatural/Mystery RPG)

“Charlie, you jerk!” Aiden knew the consequences, but he cried out when he saw the girl kneeling in pain. He elbowed past a surprised Charlie and the boy and his Nightmare ran after her.

“Are you alright, miss? Are you hurt? I’m so sorry. Charlie’s bullets can’t hurt normal people. They’re made of mere thoughts like Nightmares. But if it hurt you, then we have to bring you to the hospital.”

Re: RPG: Nightmare Hunt (A Supernatural/Mystery RPG)

Clarissa was more frightened than she was ever before in her entire life. "Leave me alone!" she cried out.

Let me go and I will take them away.... Let me help you Clarissa the voice cooed.

She ran away, knowing they would give chase. "Okay! Get rid of them!" Clarissa cried as she ran.

The voice laughed, You should trust the Guardian and the Watcher.

"The what?" Clarissa asked, but her mind went blank.

Osaka took over her body, and the only thing that had changed were her eyes which were red. "Stupid kids," he scowled and went in his true form.

The bones in every part of her body cracked to take shape of his true form. Clarissa was no longer in control.

He stuck out his hand and pointed at the trio. A vision for each had formed and went to attack them. A fierce dog for the dog, and two beloved friends of each Aiden and Charlie that were trying to kill them.

Osaka growled and shifted into a regular human, and disappeared into the darkness. Once he reached civilization, he disappeared into a crowed of people/

"Thanks for having hope in me,” He shrugged and smiled, “But well, you know I'm just a murderer.”

Charlie fell backwards, his back landing on the dirt ground. His hands clutched at Aiden’s wrists as he gasped for air.

“Aiden, Aiden it’s me.” It was like breathing through a straw, “Don't. D-Don't do this. I've... I've forgiven you. It doesn’t matter…”

He wanted to tell him that they shared an apartment, that they ate dinner together, they were like brothers, but he couldn’t breathe, he couldn’t speak.

At least the very last thing he sees is Aiden, even though he was the one to kill him.

“You murdered my sister, Hayes.” Charlie raised his gun for him, aiming for his forehead, his eyes soulless and gray. “Pay for it with your life.”

Aiden rolled his eyes, “Sic ‘em, Philo.”

Philo reared on his massive hind legs like a wild horse. His jaws clamped down onto Charlie’s neck. The illusion dissipated. Aiden knew these things weren’t a challenge once you knew they weren’t real.

The other-dog howled furiously, but Aiden just swept a hand through its head as if swatting away smoke.

Now Aiden saw the girl's Nightmare take shape. Her form changed into something monstrous, bones twisting in inhuman directions and eyes turning blood-red. He was about to order Philo to attack it, but Aiden heard Charlie’s yells.

Philo turned sharply instead, its snarl reverberating through the trees, and it charged through the illusion. The other Aiden dissipated into non-existence.

However, it was too late. The girl’s Nightmare had already gone.

“You alright, Char?” Aiden gripped his arm tight, to tell him that he was the genuine one, and lifted him to his feet.

“Y-Yeah… Just peachy.” Charlie breathed heavily, touching the place where Aiden had strangled him. It had felt so real. “H-How’d you know it wasn’t me?”

Aiden shrugged. “Dunno. I just knew. Anyway, we better go after it. Looks like the Nightmare's out in the streets, it could take lives.”

“Problem is, Aiden,” Charlie laughed as if he just said a joke, “You don’t care about people’s lives.”

Aiden smiled sheepishly, as if caught red-handed. “Well, you do. So we better go after it. Philo, you heard me.”

Philo barked twice, and it bounded far ahead of them. It could smell the Nightmare, it knew where it was. Silent as a speeding arrow, it jumped over fences and vehicles, across roofs and railings, sometimes crossing streets in two leaps. The Nightmare hound was a mere black blur, like a cloud of dark smoke, as it sped before the sight of pedestrians and drivers. Not very many people minded it, and the few that did dismissed it as a car exhaust that had puffed in their direction.

Philo found the Nightmare dressed as a mere human. It lowered its body to the ground and growled in warning. Its black markings swirled on its gray fur, like dark dust in water. If neither Aiden nor Charlie were around to tell it what to do, it was told to act on instinct and kill.

(I'll be gone for a week or so. I pass my characters to Cross. I trust he'll take good care of Aiden and Charlie.)

Re: RPG: Nightmare Hunt (A Supernatural/Mystery RPG)

Osaka broke off from the crowd once he reached to the abandoned building. He was tired and worn out from all of the running and him using his powers. "Stupid kids," he growled.

Feeling a pull, he knew that he didn't have long before he had to leave, and for Clarissa to take over. He looked at his boned hands and his dark cloak out of boredom. "Time to go.... I don't want them to find me an kill me," he said as his features began to change.

Clarissa's body was in the fetal position in the cold cemented floor in the paper factory. Her clothes were tatter and torn, and she was very dirty. All shooken up, she was shivering and scared. Charlie she said out loud as she was dreaming a little don't shoot me!

As in her mind, the bang that was ringing through her ears again, tears streamed down her face once again. "Why do I have to get shot at? What did I do wrong?"

Philo diligently followed the trail the nightmare had taken, and so far it was leading to the abandoned paper factory. As Philo was moving much more slowly as he was tracking instead of chasing, Aiden was able to catch up with him on foot. Huffing and gasping, Aiden bent over and held his knees when he got close to Philo, though Philo kept moving in search of the nightmare.

“Ph...Philo, wa...wait up...” Aiden said through breaths. Knowing that Charlie hated running, it stood to reason that he would catch up last, and right now Aiden wasn’t sure how far he was behind. Aiden walked as quickly as he could behind Philo, trying to catch his breath. He knew Philo was tracking the nightmare, and as he saw the imposing figure of the abandoned paper factory in the distance, he swallowed.

Of course, the nightmare would lead us to that dark place...

As they neared one of the broken doors on the east side of the factory, Aiden held up his hand and made a small whistling noise to get Philo’s attention, signaling him to stop. His reason for doing so was two-fold: one, Charlie had not yet caught up; two, Aiden was almost certain that they should state their case more carefully before frightening the girl further. She was being difficult, but perhaps she just didn’t understand that they were truly trying to help her. They had said that before, but maybe now she had more time to listen. At any rate, it was worth a try. Having mostly caught his breath, Aiden cleared his throat and stepped up to the doorway.

Speaking into the doorway without entering it, Aiden called out, “Hey, I...I know you’re in there and you’re probably scared. Don’t you think we can talk about this a bit more? I mean, if we wanted to hurt you, why wouldn’t we have done it when you were down? You’re in danger, and that thing you saw in your vision after Char shot you is putting your life at risk.” He shook his head. “Listen, just talk to me a little and I’ll stay right out here until you say I can come in. Deal?”

Looking behind him, he saw Charlie finally making his way to the factory. Judging from his appearance he was much more winded than Aiden had been, and he would have to have some time to recover before any action was taken. If the plan worked, perhaps none would be needed at all.

Last edited by Cross Avantgarde; 12-26-2012 at 12:22 PM.
Reason: Several issues, really.

Re: RPG: Nightmare Hunt (A Supernatural/Mystery RPG)

Clarissa opened her eyes and saw papers scattered along the floor and machines places around the building. "How did I get here?" she questioned as she looked around.

She pushed herself up and her free hand pressed against an un-lain part of the cement. A bite of cold surged through her hand, and she shivered slightly. “Hey, I...I know you’re in there and you’re probably scared. Don’t you think we can talk about this a bit more? I mean, if we wanted to hurt you, why wouldn't we have done it when you were down? You’re in danger, and that thing you saw in your vision after Char shot you is putting your life at risk,” she heard Aiden say.

As much as she wanted to trust him, she was afraid of getting shot at more. “Listen, just talk to me a little and I’ll stay right out here until you say I can come in. Deal?” he said again.

Struggling, she scrambled to her feet and ran to the other side of the factory in a corner. Her knees were pulled up to her chest, and her arms wrapped around her legs. "Go away," Clarissa muttered as she closed her eyes tightly and rested her head on her knees.

Charlie arrived beside him, breathing heavily and running one hand through his hair. Aiden could see that he was sweating, and knew he would need some more time to recover.

“I’m trying to get her to listen to us. So far it’s—”

“Not working?” Charlie finished the sentence between gasps for air. He placed one hand on the side of the wall and leaned against it, the other hand resting on his hip.

“No, not yet. But I’m going to keep trying.” Aiden turned to face the doorway again. “I wish we could go away. That would mean our job is done. But that thing that’s around you, that nightmare—it’s dangerous, and you’re going to need our help. And believe me, if anyone knows about those things, it’s us. Surely you’d like to know what’s going on, right?”

Charlie rolled his eyes and said loudly enough for only Aiden to hear. “Look, Miss Congeniality in there didn’t listen before, why do you think she’ll start now?”

Re: RPG: Nightmare Hunt (A Supernatural/Mystery RPG)

“I wish we could go away. That would mean our job is done. But that thing that’s around you, that nightmare—it’s dangerous, and you’re going to need our help. And believe me, if anyone knows about those things, it’s us. Surely you’d like to know what’s going on, right?” Clarissa heard Aiden.

"I don't care! Yes I want to know, but that stupid boy shot me and you didn't stop him! I was going to trust you!" she yelled as she covered her ears while crying.

Clarissa looked around to find an escape route, and get away from this confrontation from them. She saw a small back door, and ran to it trying to open the door. With all her might, she kept pulling. Once that didn't work, she pushed it. "It's jammed," she whispered as sweat was flowing down her forehead, "I have to get out before they come."

Re: RPG: Nightmare Hunt (A Supernatural/Mystery RPG)

"I don't care! Yes I want to know, but that stupid boy shot me and you didn't stop him! I was going to trust you!" she yelled as she covered her ears while crying.

Charlie bristled at being called “that stupid boy,” but Aiden waved at him to keep him silent. The irony that he was acting like the adult at the moment was not lost on him, and it would have caused him to tease Charlie had the situation not been so tense.

“See, she said she was going to trust us!” Aiden hissed at Charlie in a whisper. Charlie shrugged and shook his head.

Aiden looked back through the doorway and into the darkness. He heard shuffling and other noises. What was the girl doing?

“Okay, listen—you’re not wounded, right? I mean, the impact can hurt, and I know the fall did, but that was no real bullet. It was meant to show you your nightmare, that thing that’s following you around and caused you to transform like that. Really, he—Charlie—was only trying to help you.”

It probably sounded like a bit of a stretch telling someone that they were helped by being shot, but it was the truth.

Re: RPG: Nightmare Hunt (A Supernatural/Mystery RPG)

She heard Aiden say, “Okay, listen—you’re not wounded, right? I mean, the impact can hurt, and I know the fall did, but that was no real bullet. It was meant to show you your nightmare, that thing that’s following you around and caused you to transform like that. Really, he—Charlie—was only trying to help you.”

"A nightmare?" she muttered, "That black thing that I was talking to? He seems nice."

Once again she pushed, pulled, hit, and kicked the door as hard as she could. Finally, the door opened wide enough for a small person like her could squeeze through. Clarissa escaped and ran in the woods. Her bare feet sunk into the wet mud and had molded like putty around her toes. Running, running, running, as fast as she could going deeper in the woods.

Re: RPG: Nightmare Hunt (A Supernatural/Mystery RPG)

"A nightmare?" she muttered, "That black thing that I was talking to? He seems nice."

Aiden could barely hear her words as she was muttering, but he made out the word “nice” clearly enough. While he was thinking of what to do next, he heard louder noises coming from within the factory, and then the noises suddenly stopped.

Aiden looked down at Philo who was eagerly waiting at his master’s side. “Philo, looks like you’ll be tracking again...” Aiden said in a slightly annoyed tone. Charlie wasn’t the only one getting frustrated, it seemed. Philo quickly darted inside, having no trouble navigating the darkness within the factory. Suddenly, Aiden and Charlie heard barking from outside the factory, on the opposite side.

“The other side!” Aiden said, then began to run around the building.

“Running, always with the running!” Charlie yelled after him as he trotted behind.

When they arrived behind the factory, Philo began tracking footprints in the mud. They led deep into the woods, and Aiden ran immediately behind Philo.

“Seriously, what’s with this girl and running?” Charlie said exasperatingly. They ran behind Philo, but it wasn’t long before they realized that Philo would have to bound ahead as he had earlier if they were to find her.

“Go, Philo; we’ll catch us ASAP!” Aiden yelled. Philo obeyed without looking back, running as fast as he could while tracking the scent which was becoming ever stronger, allowing him to pick up speed. Finally spotting his target, Philo set into a dead run and passed the girl, turning suddenly to cut her off from her intended path. Aiden and Charlie were still out of sight, but were quickly approaching.

Re: RPG: Nightmare Hunt (A Supernatural/Mystery RPG)

She pushed on every tree that was nearby her to try to pick up speed. Knowing that they would stop her, she decided to give in and trust them. Only to be wary of Charlie and not getting shot or trusting him.

Clarissa saw Philo in front of her at a distance. She stopped close to the nightmare dog and crouched down to her knees. Not knowing what he will, she reached out her hand to show she wasn't a threat. That she knew of anyways.

Her legs were getting dirt and wet due to the moistened soil. Clarissa had a feeling Aiden and Charlie weren't far behind, so she stayed in place till they got to her. Shakily, she still had her hand out for Philo, but still waited for the boys to catch up. She was tired, hungry, and thirsty; giving up was her option now and that is what she had decided to do.

Re: RPG: Nightmare Hunt (A Supernatural/Mystery RPG)

Philo relaxed his taut muscles and sniffed the girl’s outreached hand. Not as wary as before, he stepped a bit closer and sniffed her hand again before nudging it with his head as if to show her that he was not acting out of aggression. This is the curious sight that Aiden and Charlie came upon when they finally came upon the girl and Philo.

Both arrived amidst huffs and puffs, and they stopped about 3 meters away from Philo and the girl. Charlie immediately grabbed both knees and bent over while catching his breath. Aiden was also breathing rapidly, but the puzzled look was evident on his face.

“Philo?” Aiden said, as if wanting to say more.

Charlie was still catching his breath, but managed to string together enough words for a quick question.

“We done running now?”

Aiden looked at the girl. “Like I said earlier...I promise we don’t mean any harm. We just can’t say the same thing about the nightmare you have. Mind if we ask you a few questions?”

Re: RPG: Nightmare Hunt (A Supernatural/Mystery RPG)

When Clarissa noticed that Philo was no harm, she moved closer to him and started to pet his soft fur. She moved her hand across his back as she closed her eyes out of enjoyment. When she heard the two boys arrive, she ignored them and kept petting the dog. Feeling security, she whispered in Philo's ear that she was afraid of them and didn't want to be talked to at the moment.

While still petting the dog, she glanced over at Charlie who looked like he was going to die of exhaustion, "That's what he gets," she muttered to hersel as she was still petting Philo.

Her stomach started to growl to remind her that she needed food. Clarissa still refused to talk to both males, and she was beginning to trust Philo since he was the first to show kindness. Wondering what they were going to do next, she waited on their response to her actions.

The woods smelled thickly of rich earth, and leaves and grass crunched under their feet. Aiden was used to bugs. Charlie bit his lip as he tried not to slap every mosquito that bit on his neck and arms, because it might frighten the girl off.

“She doesn’t want to talk to us, Char.” Aiden whispered, reaching out a hand to stop him from stepping further. “She told Philo she’s scared of us. She trusts my Nightmare for some reason.”

“Which is the same as trusting you.”

“Well, yes and no.” A centipede crawled over Aiden’s shoe, but his eyes never left her, “Better call HQ.”

“When we get back, I am going to run ten kilometers. Everyday.” Charlie muttered hotly. He walked about five paces away and lifted the Guardian radio to his ear. “Hello, Jean? We’re at the woods behind the abandoned paper factory. Mind calling Piers or Karn? Any Guardian left alive out there? Aiden and I haven’t exactly covered the next lesson on what to do with Ferals. Nah, it’s not an emergency. It’s just our lives in danger as usual. Nothing we can’t handle.”

“Better than flirting with you, Hayes. Tell Philo to be nice and be careful.”

Philo laid his back on the forest floor, exposing his soft underbelly, his paws in the air, showing the girl that she was dominant and inviting her for further belly rubs. Charlie couldn’t stop giggling until Aiden told him to shut up.

Re: RPG: Nightmare Hunt (A Supernatural/Mystery RPG)

When she noticed Philo showed her underbelly, she giggled and scratched him. She heard the males talking, which made her grimace slightly since they were untrustworthy to her. She was happy for the first time in a while since she had something/someone to interact with her playfully.

Clarissa leaned over to Philo's ear and whispered, "Don't let them take me away. I don't know what's going on or why they are here, but Charlie should stay away. He shot me dog... It hurt as much as sorrow did. And that voice... It told me it could help me and get rid of them for a while. I accepted it, and now I wake up to the abandoned paper factory."

Remembering that time, her playful scratches and rubs changed into a slight movement with her staring off into the distance. She was looking at the ground, yet she wasn't. Like she was staring past the ground, and to something different.

She got out of her trance, started scratching and rubbing playfully again. Giving a small but said smile, she continued to to ignore the boys and be preoccupied with the nightmare that she thought was a dog.

Re: RPG: Nightmare Hunt (A Supernatural/Mystery RPG)

Philo’s leg beat in the air, like Thumper, as the girl scratched his belly. His tail wagged and his tongue stuck out as he panted blissfully.

Charlie had to duck his head because Aiden was turning a terrible shade of cherry. He bit his lip, covered his face with a hand, and his shoulders shook as he desperately tried not to fall over and roll on the forest floor.

“She says she wants you to stay away because you shot her.” Aiden emphasized on the ‘you’ to make Charlie stop laughing. They knelt, out of habit, to lessen their presence. “Her Nightmare took over her and she doesn’t know how she woke up in the factory.”

The girl could not even begin to trust them at all. Aiden had always found it easy to believe in others, but he could understand how she felt. His first Nightmare wasn’t completely gone.

Charlie had dealt with more overzealous Vagrants than lost and unsure Ferals, and he wasn’t completely confident in his ability to deal with girls. It was a recipe for a catastrophe.

“Good. I have a plan and I doubt it’s going to work.” Charlie put his hands in his pockets, grinning. He stood and offered Aiden a hand up, “Let’s stay out of sight and let Philo handle this by himself. Trust me. We can leave her alone with him.”

Aiden tilted his head, as if to ask Are you insane?

“Alright, Char.”

Aiden took his hand, cast a look back, and they quietly retreated from the battlefield.

Philo picked himself up and stood on all fours. His body shook as if to shake away dirt, but being a figment of imagination dirt could hardly cling to him. He nipped on the hem of her clothes and tugged towards the direction of the Supermarket. Charlie usually had better plans.

Re: RPG: Nightmare Hunt (A Supernatural/Mystery RPG)

Clarissa noticed Charlie was about to fall on the ground laughing as Aiden was getting a little flustered. Wondering why that would be, she kept paying attention to Philo who enjoyed his time. Then after a little time, she saw that they were leaving with her and the dog.

Once they left, she saw the dog stand and shake the dirt away. She also stood and brushed herself off as good as she can. "I wish you could talk... I'd ask you all kinds of questions," she sighed as she looked around.

Clarissa felt a slight tug on her clothing that was pulling her towards town. "Okay, okay... I'm going," she chuckled as she started walking towards the direction Philo wanted her to go.

Every once and a while she stopped to look back to see if the dog was following her. "Come on," she patted her thigh of encouragement, "you don't want to leave me alone right?"

Re: RPG: Nightmare Hunt (A Supernatural/Mystery RPG)

A single red light blinked on the small, silver device on the table in front of the seated Piers. The miniature lens on the device was focused on him as he spoke. Knowing that the circumstances and events in the town were unprecedented, Piers had decided to record all the happenings and send them to the main nexus of the Guardians on the mainland so that future Guardians could be prepared for such an outbreak in nightmare activity. Piers squinted at times when he spoke, and winced every now and then. Of course, some things were easy to say while others weren’t. Some things that Piers believed could be left unsaid were omitted. For all intents and purposes, however, Piers recorded everything he felt was relevant. Wiping his eyes from the tears that had sprung at their corners, he got up and shut off the device, placing it in the left inner breast pocket of his jacket.

The next step was to prepare the G.U.I.L.A. log, the digital log that was left as a standalone database for the Guardians, to be saved in another format and sent to the mainland. As Piers went to the elevator to get to G.U.I.L.A., he switched on his radio. He almost immediately heard Jean’s voice.

“Calling Piers or Karn. Charlie Reid and Aiden Hayes have requested backup dealing with a Feral. Situation is believed to be contained and Feral is reported as non-hostile. Their location at the time of the call is showing via the radio GPS near the abandoned paper factory, but further monitoring will be required to see if their location has changed.”

Piers grabbed his radio from his belt, reaching under his jacket to do so. “Piers DeFoe, responding. En route to the garage.” He placed the radio back on his belt and waited for the elevator to come to a stop. While he did he sent a quick text to Landy. “Som busness 2 tend 2. Can u meet me at HQ 2nite?” Landy had quite the unique situation, the fact that she was the vortex through which the spike in nightmare activity had occurred notwithstanding. No, what made Landy’s position peculiar in a recruitment light is that she had put in more work for the Guardians than some of the recruits Piers himself had joined with in the past, and still she wasn’t a full member yet—at least not in the mainland’s eyes. Piers was seeking to change that, and fast, as he fully knew of the difference she had made in the battle on Conifer Beach. He sent the text right when the elevator opened. He stayed on, his destination now being the garage, and pushed the garage level on the elevator, waiting for it to descend. He walked quickly to his car the moment the doors opened, quickly got in, turned the ignition, threw it into gear, and left with haste. As he drove into town he purposely didn’t look in the direction of Conifer Beach. Even though it was a ways off, it was still too soon to take another look at it. He looked down at the radio which he had placed on the seat beside him and saw that Charlie’s and Aiden’s position had changed only slightly as they were nearing the Residential District. Piers parked on the side of the road in the Residential District, got out, and locked his doors. Then, radio in hand, he began to walk toward their GPS signal, which was taking him to the woods between the Residential District and the abandoned paper factory. The trek wasn’t too long, and soon he saw the figures of Charlie and Aiden in the near distance. But no Feral.

Piers lifted his right hand, wanting to draw their attention without speaking just in case the situation was more sensitive than he thought. He walked up to them, the only noise the crunching of leaves and foliage under his shoes. Finally close enough to speak in a low voice he said, “I hear there’s a Feral here?” He placed the radio back on his side, letting the jacket fall back over it, no longer needing the GPS. He brushed his hair aside briefly, though it fell in almost the same position near his right eye. He noticed that Charlie looked a bit flushed, as if he had exerted himself recently, and it almost looked as if Aiden had as well.

Re: RPG: Nightmare Hunt (A Supernatural/Mystery RPG)

Philo wagged its tail and barked happily before it trotted towards her. It was going to lead her down the street like they were having a peaceful morning walk. That was what Aiden said, so that was what it was going to do. Yes it was, yes it was.

“Hey there, Piers,” Aiden grinned, holding his hand in the air for a high-five. Piers was, in more ways than one, his big brother. The precious few Guardians left were the only family he knows now. “Our Feral is with Philo. She’s safe with him.”

A black and yellow butterfly fluttered in front of Philo’s face. Its jaws snapped at the eye-catching bug before it flew to safety over a fence. Philo shook its head in disappointment and caught up with Clarissa down the street with the speed of an average dog.

“Anyway, Piers, I’m so glad you’re here. You’re just the dude we need.” Charlie jerked a thumb towards the Nightmare’s direction, “You have more experience than both of us put together. Think you could go over there and talk to her? Once she’s in HQ she’ll be safe. If you need a cover, you could claim Philo as your friend’s missing Labrador.”

Philo stopped and tilted its head at Clarissa as if it had forgotten what it was doing. It sat on the ground and scratched its ear with his back leg. Then it slowly walked up to her and sniffed her hand as if begging for a pat on the head.

Re: RPG: Nightmare Hunt (A Supernatural/Mystery RPG)

“Hey there, Piers,” Aiden grinned, holding his hand in the air for a high-five. Piers was, in more ways than one, his big brother. The precious few Guardians left were the only family he knows now. “Our Feral is with Philo. She’s safe with him.”

Piers high-fived Aiden, smiling at the young trainee as he did so. He was always happy to see such enthusiasm among the trainees, and knew that Aiden would make a solid Guardian. Aiden, like Landy, had participated in the events at Conifer Beach before things were resolved, so their positions were unique, to say the least.

“Anyway, Piers, I’m so glad you’re here. You’re just the dude we need.” Charlie jerked a thumb towards the Nightmare’s direction, “You have more experience than both of us put together. Think you could go over there and talk to her? Once she’s in HQ she’ll be safe. If you need a cover, you could claim Philo as your friend’s missing Labrador.”

Piers’s smile almost got bigger as Charlie’s way of talking reminded him slightly of Yorick. But Charlie’s eyes reminded him mostly of Cerise. “It’s refreshing to have normal cases like this again,” he said, closing his eyes. “Alright, if you two don’t mind just watch from here in case she does something unexpected. From what it looks like that’s pretty implausible, but it’s the best course of action for now.” Piers turned to go to the girl and spoke to Charlie and Aiden briefly while walking in her direction.

“And great job, by the way.”

Piers approached the girl with a small smile on his face. She seemed to be genuinely enjoying Philo’s company. “Ma’am?” he said softly. “My name is Piers. I work with the dog’s owner and the other gentleman you met. Might I have a word with you?” He knelt down to her level and looked over at her, careful to give her enough space to not feel threatened.

Re: RPG: Nightmare Hunt (A Supernatural/Mystery RPG)

Location: Residential Area
Role: Feral
Status: Unknown
Items: none

Clarissa saw Philo's butterfly episode, and laughed with much pleasure. Seeing defeat in his expression, she called for him to come. Waiting until he was done scratching, she was going to keep walking. Only to feel a slight nuzzle for affection. "okay, okay," she chuckled.

She bent down and a scratched his head along with scratching his side. "I see you haven't gotten this much affection before," Clarissa giggled as she continued to scratch his spots.

“Ma’am?” she heard a man say softly. “My name is Piers. I work with the dog’s owner and the other gentleman you met. Might I have a word with you?”

Clarissa looked up and glared at the new person named Piers. "What do you want?" she growled, "What are you? A guardian? Watcher? Doesn't matter, I'm not associating with the likes of YOU people."

She stood up, tugged on Philo's ruff slightly to indicate she was leaving, and started walking. Walking, she stopped, and slightly looked behind her, "Stay away from me."

With that, she snapped her fingers to encourage Philo to follow her. Rounding a corner and leaning on the wall, she s stopped so she could allow the dog to catch up.

Re: RPG: Nightmare Hunt (A Supernatural/Mystery RPG)

Philo launched itself on his hind legs and threw his whole body at Piers. Its long black tail wagged madly as he happily licked Aiden’s friend like Lassie coming home. Its Host could hear its thoughts: OhboyOhboyOhboy!

“This is worse than I thought.” Charlie surveyed the battlefield like a commander who has just lost half of his platoon to dysentery, “She practically hates everyone, even Piers. And man, nobody hates Piers. Even the people who want to kill him actually want to keep him alive. Er… you okay, Hayes?”

Aiden seemed busily interested at his toes, his face still a deep shade of cherry as he desperately convinced himself this was all in a day’s work.

“Never mind. You don’t have to say a word. Alright, I have a couple of plans. One, you sync with Philo-”

“NO.”

“Knew you were gonna say that.” Charlie sighed, “I guess the only way is to keep her safe for now.”

Philo’s ears pricked up as the human girl snapped her fingers for it to follow. It barked twice joyously and trotted after her. Then it stopped and looked back at Piers, whom it once desperately tried to kill but since the Guardian was now giving it pats on the head and doggie treats on a regular basis all that was forgiven and forgotten.

To follow or not to follow? To stay or not to stay? The choices were too hard! Philo lowered his body to the ground on a crawl, curling its tail around itself as it whined softly. It covered its black eyes with its giant paws and hoped the dilemma will take care of its own.

Re: RPG: Nightmare Hunt (A Supernatural/Mystery RPG)

Piers laughed amidst Philo’s lick-laced greeting. One could easily forget he was a nightmare, and Piers was getting as attached to him as he would any pet, despite the fact that he wasn’t the owner. The girl’s reply, however, brought him back to reality.

Clarissa looked up and glared at the new person named Piers. "What do you want?" she growled, "What are you? A guardian? Watcher? Doesn't matter, I'm not associating with the likes of YOU people."

She stood up, tugged on Philo's ruff slightly to indicate she was leaving, and started walking. Walking, she stopped, and slightly looked behind her, "Stay away from me."

With that, she snapped her fingers to encourage Philo to follow her. Rounding a corner and leaning on the wall, she stopped so she could allow the dog to catch up.

Philo seemed torn between the two, and since the girl had stopped, Piers took advantage of the situation to speak to her a bit more. He took only a few steps toward her, knowing that she could still hear him from this distance.

“Three assumptions,” he simply said, holding up one finger. “One: you know some of our lingo, which means that you’ve had some contact with either us or someone who knows us.” Had she learned those words from Charlie or Aiden? He didn’t know, but at least this whole thing wouldn’t be completely new to her. He held up two fingers now. “Two: You have a nightmare of your own. Otherwise, I wouldn’t have been called here.” He lifted a third finger. “And three: you don’t like us.” He kept his hand up. “I’d like to know the reason behind my third assumption.” He waited a few seconds before speaking again, this time putting down his hand.

“All of these assumptions are more than plausible. So, tic for tac? You give me an answer, and you get to ask me a question—any question—and I’ll give you one. We both know that walking away simply isn’t the answer. For instance, look at the dog—carefully, I mean. You see just as well as I that he’s not simply a dog, right? You have one of these as well, though I can’t see it.” He left out the fact that Charlie, indeed, could see it, but perhaps she already knew that. “For everyone’s sake, I think it’s best you talk to us. From my experience, nightmares don’t always play by the rules, and there are a lot of people in this town that might unfortunately end up as the casualties of those broken rules if we don’t do our job. So, let me restate the question: what’s your problem with us?”